“Whenever I would think of God, I would think of those paintings I would see on the wall, right? You know, the ones of Jesus with long blonde hair holding sheep.” - Francis Chan (1)

At first I was offended by this statement. But after thinking about it, I got what he was saying.

When we think of Jesus, we think of him as he was here on earth (although I’m pretty sure he didn’t have blonde hair!). Sometimes I think picturing him this way makes us forget that he is also God (Colossians 2:9).

Jesus is God (John 10:30). He is the great I AM. If you look at descriptions in the Bible, he is beyond anything we can fully understand or grasp.

Read these descriptions of God…(and Jesus and The Holy Spirit):

Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking. - Ezekiel 1:26-28 (NIV)

He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,and its people are like grasshoppers.He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,and spreads them out like a tent to live in. - Isaiah 40:22 (NIV)

And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. - Revelation 4:3 (NIV)

The fear of God leads to life. It leads to security and peace. Fearing God makes so we don’t have to fear anything or anyone else.

And yet...he loves us enough that he made a way that we can still be close to him. Amazingly, he delights and desires to have a relationship with us. We can approach him with confidence and freedom, not because of who we are, but because of what Jesus did for us. He is the bridge to God. I believe a healthy balance of fear and awe about who God is, coupled with an awareness of his love and grace toward us is the key to life and to joy.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. - Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV) emphasis mine

In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. - Ephesians 3:12 (NIV)

When we remember who he is, it changes everything. When we remember who we are because of him, I believe miracles will start happening in our lives. If we could remember his holiness, his great power, and his sovereignty over all...but also his huge love for us, it would change what we really believe about God...

We would know he is completely trustworthy.We would know he is sovereign. He is in total control and he has a plan.We would know he can work all things for good.We would be full to the brim, and overflowing with the Holy Spirit.We would know that he can redeem anything. Nothing has to be wasted.We would believe we can be different than how our past has defined us (because of Jesus).We would know we can be healed, because the Healer is our Father.We would be free to fulfill our callings.We would have the courage to fulfill our callings, because we know we are his child and nothing can stop us when he’s on our side.

My prayer is that we would beg the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and help us to see God in a new way in 2017.

To be able to see God in a new way, we have to spend time with him. Simple, but profound.To know God more and to deepen our relationship with him, we need to spend time with him. We have to be in his Word. We have to saturate our hearts and minds with truth.

He must be our main thing. Is God your One Thing?

I ran across this song written by Hannah McClure (Bethel Music) called “You Are My One Thing,” and I love it.

My resolution for 2017 is that God would be my One Thing.

And I believe he is going to blow me away in the way he answers my request. I can’t wait to see, because I know he honors the prayers of his children who want to know him more.

If you are an imperfect wife, mom, daughter, or friend, struggling to stay focused on God in the craziness and find joy in the heartache, then we have something in common. I am a recovering perfectionist and daughter of the King, slowly learning to fully trust the One who sees me just as I am, and is already pleased. I’m so glad you are here.